An Editorial

OBSERVATIONS & CONDEMNATIONS

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

The Freeman Center and all its members wish Israel a hearty Mazal
Tov on the 50th
anniversary of its independence. Unfortunately, our joy is
diminished by our knowledge that the foolish pursuit of the Oslo
Accords will ultimately cause Israel to disappear from the face
of the earth. I have said it many times before, yet I must repeat
the following statement on this special Yom Hatzmaut

A HARSH REALITY

We all want peace. We pray for peace in our
Sabbath services every Friday night. After thousands of years,
being victims of persecution, expulsion, extermination,
and discrimination, it is natural that we yearn for
peace with every ounce of our bodies and souls.

It is because our hunger for peace is so strong that we must
be doubly cautious not to fall for a psuedo-peace that
is really the wolf of war wrapped in sheep's clothing. Today none
of us believe Chamberlain really negotiated "peace
in our time" with Hitler. Why do some Jews believe
that Peres and Rabin really negotiated PEACE with Arafat,
one of today's Hitlers?

Israelis my age have fought in four wars and I understand
their desire to be free of constant conflict. Unfortunately
there is no magic cure. I wish I could write more
optimistic words. Beyond the neighboring states that Israel is
negotiating with now lies another ring of unmitigated
hostility led by Islamic fundamentalists like those in
Iran.

As Jews we are all involved in this historic struggle
to survive. It is not our fate or that of the Israelis
that we should retire from this struggle. The only peace the
Arabs are prepared to give us is the peace of the grave.

In blood and fire was Israel born and on a hot anvil was she
forged. The brave young soldiers of Israel must take a quick
glance back to the crematoria of Auschwitz and then go forth to
face the enemy knowing that there is still no alternative
(ein breira).

LEBANON

Many Israelis, including both right and left, are under the
illusion that they can leave Lebanon and be protected by Syria,
Lebanon, the UN or the tooth fairy. Some believe the threat of
massive Israeli retaliation will prevent violence on the northern
border. No foreign group will ever protect Israel and no promises
to Israel will ever be kept. Israel's ability to massively
retaliate will be inhibited in the future, exactly as it is now.

On the other hand, it is not a hopeless situation where young
Israeli soldiers go to become human targets of the Hizballah. We
suggest the following: (1) Announce a massive retaliation policy
against Syrian bases in Lebanon and Lebanese infrastructure
including Beirut in the event of Hizballah attacks on IDF or SLA
soldiers. (2) Then follow through without discussion with
foreigners.

THE AMERICAN 'PEACE'
PLAN

After 50 years of independence it is past time for Israeli
leaders to stop seeking advice or approval from the Americans.
America is a wonderful country, but its foreign policy goals are
not identical to Israel's. In fact during the last 50 years
American diplomacy as tended to prevent the achievement of major
Israeli goals. Israel's wars with the Arabs were never alloyed to
become total victories. The Arabs were always resuscitated and
allowed to re-group and re-arm for the next battle. Israel has
been severely damaged by the major American effort at Camp David
and Oslo. As for Europeans, they should be advised to discuss
peace with Jews of Auschwitz.

ARAFAT AND THE PA

I am sick of Israeli leaders discussing what Arafat "has
to do" before Oslo can proceed. Wake up, four years has
passed and Arafat will not become a boy scout. Trust me.
"A leopard does not change its spots. And you can say a berachaha
(Hebrew blessing) over a ham sandwich, but that doesn't make it
kosher. And a deal with the PLO is like a dance on quicksand
--before you realize it, you have sunk into the muck and
slime." [Freeman Center press release, September 3,
1993] To all concerned with Israel's future: Terminate
Oslo now!

NECESSARY CONDEMNATIONS

This has been a bad week for morality and integrity. We feel
compelled by our sense of truth and justice to issue the
following three condemnations:

1. We condemn British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
who came to Israel this week with a pro-Arab agenda. Cook
intended to tour Har Homa with Feisal Husseini to dramatically
push his belief that Jerusalem is "occupied Arab
territory." He was dissuaded from this provocative act,
though continued to babble Arab propaganda at every opportunity.

We have a long memory. We remember how the
British gave 80% of the land reserved for the Jewish State by the
League of Nations Mandate to set up a new Arab State for King
Abdullah. We remember how the British slammed the doors of
Palestine shut to Jews trying to escape the inferno of the
Holocaust. We remember how they armed the Arabs to destroy the
Yishuv. We remember how they turned over their fortresses
(Taggart) to the Arabs before leaving in 1948. And we remember
how they disarmed Jewish defenders of Israel. Yes, a lot of
Jewish blood is on the hands of the British Foreign Ministry
Officers. We would advise Cook that we want neither his
advice nor presence in Eretz Yisrael.

2. We condemn the Vatican's new document on the
Holocaust. Israel's Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau also
rejected the Vatican statement as "too little too
late." The Vatican, contrary to its promises to Jewish
leaders failed to apologize for the Church's role in making the
Holocaust possible.

Again, we have a long memory. The crimes of
the Catholic Church read like the definitive portrait of evil.
Under Church direction Jews were pillaged, tortured, murdered,
deported, forcibly converted, robbed and brutalized in ways so
horrible that the mind can not handle the horror. To this day the
Vatican holds a vast storehouse of Jewish ceremonial objects and
ancient Hebrew texts plundered from Jewish communities all over
Europe. During World War II, the Church became money launderer
and protector of the Nazis. At the same time they condemned
millions of Jews to extermination by not having the moral courage
to say that mass murder was wrong. We say to the Vatican:
We don't want your self-serving documents.Return
our property and then sink to your knees and beg forgiveness from
the victims of your evil activities throughout nearly two
thousand years.

3. We condemn the Israeli Foreign Ministry
for releasing a statement blaming the violence in Hebron on its
Jewish community. This slanderous and totally false charge must
be repudiated in the strongest terms by the Israeli leadership.
After a week of Arab violence and attacks on Jews and Israeli
soldiers, we are amazed and disappointed by this uncalled for
statement. Shame on you.